Virtual cards for Facebook and Instagram ads

With a credit or debit card on file, a Meta ad account usually pays by automatic payments. Meta charges the card each time your unpaid ad costs reach the account's payment threshold, and again on the monthly bill date for whatever is left. Some accounts can also add funds in advance, which Meta spends as the ads run. The options you see depend on the ad account's country and currency.

Meta has also started moving some high-spending ad accounts from card payments to monthly invoicing. If Billing and payments shows that notice for your account, follow it rather than adding another card.

A new ad account starts with a low payment threshold that Meta raises as payments succeed, so charges can come several times a month, and some arrive after your ads have stopped. Every payment you make with a GetVCC card carries its per-transaction fee, so a very low threshold also means more fees.

When you add a card, Meta may place a small temporary authorization to check it. It is not a charge and drops off the card after a few days.

You need admin access to the ad account to add a payment method. Open Billing and payments for the ad account, go to the payment settings and add a credit or debit card. Enter the number, expiry date and CVV from My cards, then the cardholder name and billing address exactly as they appear there. A billing address or postcode that does not match the card is one of the most common reasons a card is refused.

An ad account's currency is set when the account is created. Changing it later is not a simple edit: Meta sets up a new ad account in the new currency. Choose the currency with the card you plan to use in mind.

For an account billed in US dollars, start with a USA Visa or Mastercard and check its BIN in the catalog. For an account in a local currency, a card issued in the same country, such as the Brazilian Reloadable Visa or the Turkish Premium Visa and Mastercard, can be the closer match. American Express is accepted for many ad accounts, but not every country or payment setting offers it.

When a charge fails, Meta stops delivering your ads and can restrict the ad account until the balance is paid. The usual causes are too little available on the card for a threshold charge, billing details that do not match the card, a card type or country the account does not accept, an expired card, and a security check from the card issuer that was not completed.

Fix the cause first, then pay the outstanding balance from Billing and payments, with the same card or another one. Trying the same card again and again rarely helps. My cards shows each card's number, expiry date, CVV and billing details, not one-time codes, so if Meta asks for a code you cannot complete, add a different card.

Give each ad account its own card. Spend stays separate and easy to match, and a failed charge or a review on one account never stops the others. A second card saved as a backup payment method keeps delivery going if one charge is declined. Agencies usually keep one card per client for the same reason. A card from a restricted ad account should never be moved to a new account to keep advertising.

Meta may ask you to confirm a phone number, your identity or your business before ads run, depending on the account, the ad category and where the ads show. Give accurate details. GetVCC may also ask for an identity check before you buy a card.

GetVCC cards are for paying your own legitimate ad spend, never for getting around Meta's Advertising Standards, a restriction or a disabled account. Meta decides which cards it accepts, so no card provider can guarantee acceptance.